Home Generators Now Allowed In The Borough

Published: June 28, 2014 @ 6:00 AM EST

During Superstorm Sandy, with power being out in many homes throughout the borough for more than two weeks, people used portable generators to power their homes and afterwards, some residents decided to have permanent generators installed on their property to prevent power loss for any reason in the future.

Unfortunately, it was discovered that those types of permanent home generators were not described in the Borough Code Book and, therefore, could not exist legally. That changed on June 19th when the governing body voted to pass Ordinance 2406, which allows and regulates permanent generators.

Laying out information regarding permits, application fees, and inspections, the ordinance restricts usage of generators to periods of emergency which the ordinance defines as “the loss of primary power due to power outage beyond the control of the property owner” – testing and maintenance use is acceptable.

The generator is required to be screened with fencing, shrubbery, or landscaping that must be at least four (4) feet high and approved by the Municipal Building Inspector. If the screening is not maintained, the permit for the generator can be revoked.

Each residence is allowed only one generator with an output maximum of 20 kilowatts (kW) for residential use and 40 kW for businesses. The generator will also be exempt from the noise ordinance.